COVID-19 and its variants are continuing to have an impact on the daily lives of older adults, affecting their physical, emotional, social and financial well-being. It is important for older adults and their caregivers, families and friends to take a close look to assess the changes they may have experienced during the pandemic—and to look for services and supports that can help address them. The Eldercare Locator, USAging and the U.S. Administration for Community Living have made this the focus of the 2021 Home for the Holidays campaign.
The centerpiece of the campaign is Healthy Aging in a Pandemic World: What Older Adults and Caregivers Need to Know Now, a brochure describing some of the changes that families, friends and caregivers may notice in the older adults in their lives. The brochure poses questions readers can and should ask themselves and their loved ones and provides information on services available that can help address changes they may have identified.
After nearly two years of taking precautionary measures to stay safe and healthy during COVID-19, older adults who are re-engaging with one another, their families, friends and communities may need advice on where to turn for assistance with a range of changes they may have experienced during the pandemic, including physical changes brought on by putting off doctors’ appointments, emotional or social changes resulting from physical distancing and isolation, or financial changes due to cognitive changes or scams. Developed with this in mind, the campaign encourages older adults and caregivers to evaluate their health and well-being and consider any needed changes to their lives or environment.
“Ensuring that older adults have the resources they need to fully—but safely—re-engage, in their communities is central to the mission of the Administration for Community Living,” said Alison Barkoff, Principal Deputy Administrator, U.S. Administration for Community Living. “The Eldercare Locator is a vital national resource for older adults, families and caregivers looking for local resources to help them live actively and independently, and to get and stay connected with others.”
Launched in 1992, the Eldercare Locator is the only national information and referral resource to provide support to consumers across the spectrum of issues affecting older Americans. The Eldercare Locator, established and funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living and administered by USAging, can be easily accessed at eldercare.acl.gov.
Home for the Holidays is an annual public education campaign that encourages discussion of important issues affecting older Americans at a time of the year when family and friends often gather. Past campaigns have focused on the decision to give up driving, updates that can be made to homes to accommodate the changes that come along with aging, the importance of maintaining brain health and more.
USAging is the national association representing and supporting the network of Area Agencies on Aging and advocating for the Title VI Native American Aging
Programs. Our members help older adults and people with disabilities throughout the United States live with optimal health, well-being, independence and dignity in their homes and communities.
